Face Hole Cutout, Face in Hole, Carnival / Special Event Prop, Party, Holiday, Photo Cut Out Board

I created a face hole (honestly don’t know what they’re really called) and a stand for an upcoming event. None of the DIY ones I’ve seen online really fit the bill, so hopefully this will help someone. The independent stand was a must for transporting purposes.

Sheet of plywood: 4’x 8’ is the standard size they come in.

2" x 4" x 8’ boards. (3)

4" x 4" x 3’ post

wood filler (optional)

decking screws (any decent length wood screw will do)

primer paint

paint for design

table saw

jigsaw

measuring tape

sandpaper

wood glue

projector (optional)

Most people can’t transport a full sheet of plywood, and I am most people. I scaled my design down to 3’ x 5’ to make it transportable in a hatchback SUV. The fine people at Home Depot (or wherever you get your supplies) will trim down your board for you. I took one foot off the width, and three feet off the height. I’ll find a use for those pieces some other day.

1) Build The Support Frame

I opted for plywood cause it was a little lighter than some other options. However it is likely to bend a decent amount. For this reason, and for standing it up purposes, I built a box frame for it to go on.

Cut down your 2x4’s so you have two 5’ pieces, and two 3’ pieces. If you see the picture, you’ll see that the 3’ boards are placed in outside the longer boards on the frame. Because of this you’ll have to trim a little off so the frame isn’t bigger than the plywood. a 2x4 is actually 1.5" thick, which means you’ll be cutting 3" off each of your 5’ boards. Now we have an even 5’ length.

Lay your box frame out into the 5’ x 3’ rectangle. Drill two pilot holes at each corner, then drill your screws in.

Lay your plywood board with the smoother of the sides facing up, on to the frame you’ve drilled. Drill pilot holes through the plywood and into the frame, around the entire rectangle border (about 3/4" in from the edges. You’re aiming for the middle of that 2x4). Make sure not to drill down in the spots where you’ve already drilled in your frame. Drill your screws in so they’re at least flush with the plywood, or slightly sunken.

Next I filled any screw spots, extra rough plywood sections and knotholes with wood filler. Add as much or as little as you want but the smoother your board, the easier it will be to trace and paint.

Sand down the wood filler til it’s flush with the rest of the plywood.

Paint a primer base on the plywood. I did two coats on mine

Next I took my design and projected it onto the board in my garage. If you’re not projecting, this is when you’d sketch your painting lightly with a pencil. If you are worried about proportions being correct, you could try the grid drawing method (google it.)

Doing this step before painting insures you don’t damage the paint you’ve laid on. Using the biggest drill bit I had, I drilled a hole in the center of the face oval. Then using a jigsaw, starting in that hole, I was able to cut out the oval. make sure it’s big enough, but not too big. You can always increase size, so start smaller vs larger. Also make sure to sand around the edge well after you cut it out. I did come back with more white primer after this, as the jigsaw did scuff up some areas around the hole.

I used a mixture of house paints, art paints and craft paints. Basically any paints I already had on hand. Consider if this will be outside for a long period of time when deciding what paint or protection you plan on using.

The pictures explain it best, but I’ll try.

Cut four 8" sections of the 4x4 post.

Each ‘foot’ will consist of two of those post pieces on top of a flat 2x4 section. A 2x4 the width of the plywood (3’) will connect the two feet.

On top of a flat 2x4, lay one post piece down at the very front. Leave a gap for the depth of the plywood and frame plus the thickness of the 2x4 that will be connecting the two feet. Let’s say roughly a 5.5" gap, but measure yours since plywood thickness varies. Now place a second post block after that. Draw a line using the back of that block, and that’s where you’ll cut the flat 2x4 that they’re laying on. Repeat the process for the second foot. Sanding harsh edges is always a good idea with any of the pieces you cut as well

Testing the fit before gluing is the way to go as well. Make sure there is enough room to take it in and out easily, but not enough that it is in any way loose. I added some scrap foam paper to the front of the slot so the wood wouldn’t scrape the paint.

In my pictures you’ll see I tapered the front blocks. This was purely for aesthetics. I set the table saw to a 45 degree angle, put the block on its side and trimmed off that triangular piece.

I glued the pieces of the feet on my flat 2x4 bases with wood glue, then glued on the 2x4 that connects the feet. Once it was dry enough to handle, I carefully flipped the entire thing over and screwed the 2x4 base boards to the wood post blocks and the connecting 2x4 piece, making sure to drill pilot holes first.

If you measured correctly it should fit in nicely. Measure twice, and trust the pictures.